1) “The idea of a president speaking in anything but his own words was unaccptable. Judson Welliver’s tittle was “literary clerk” when he began White House service for Warren Harding in 1921. Few Americans then or later knew anything about him or his job. He is remembered chiefly, if at all, for coining the term ‘the Founding Fathers.'” From “All the President’s Words” by Carol Gelderman.

2) Judson Welliver was mentioned in this article regarding a letter Harding “wrote” and signed. The article questions how much of the letter Harding actually wrote and how much was written by his advisors and staff such as George Christian and Judson Welliver.

3) Judson Welliver is cited in this article on migration and immigration. “This table leads Mr. Welliver to remark that the report of a great return of aliens to Europe to take part in the war was very much a fiction.”

4) “As I read the accounts of recent presidential campaigns, I think how greatly complicated has become the work of a nominee, beside that of so recent a period as 1892, Senator Harding, was surrounded by a group of assistants…” From an article in the Proceedings of the Massachusetts Historical Society.

5) Judson C. Welliver, “Herbert Clark Hoover,” Review of Reviews, March 1920, p. 261. is cited in regards to the following quote: “Some were not willing to wait so long for Hoover’s services. In England, Hoover’s CRB activities had done much to impress the British with his skill. Some said that it was possible the British contributions to the CRB had been fully compensated by Hoover’s success in curbing the operations of food profiteers.”

Kaminsky also found the magazine cover featured above that highlights an article in the issue authored by JW.

Letter to the editor stating the Coolidge was eloquent without Welliver’s help. Welliver is quoted in an book review in regards to Harding and Coolidge. Safire praises Welliver’s well written speeches for Coolidge. Judson Welliver’s articles on politics in Illinois is referenced. Welliver defends Harding against accusations.

1) The Dallas Morning News printed an article titled “Impatient Over The Attitude of Col. Roosevelt” in 1910. This article criticizes Col. Roosevelt for his unfulfilled promises. Judson Welliver, a fellow member of the progressive movement, has also had enough of Col. Roosevelts promises, but lack of action. He is quoted saying some harsh words about the general.

2) An article was written in the Morning Olympian based on Judson Welliver’s experiences in Europe. The article is titled “Reorganized British Schools During War.” Judson Welliver tells how the school system in Britain was in shambles and it was the minister of education, Mr. Fisher, who was dedicated to turning it around. Judson Welliver finishes with saying that America needs to look at its own education system.

3) The Washington Post printed an article in 1918 based on Judson Welliver’s claim that the war would last for another 5 years. Upon Judson Welliver’s return from Europe, he addressed members of the national press club and conveyed he concern for how long much longer the war would last. He also claimed that women in England, Scotland and Wales were the driving force behind the British government.

4) The Grand Forks Herald printed an article titled “Cox Prepared Trap For Harding, Caught Self, Avers Judson Welliver. Governor Cox (right) had attempted to trap Senator Harding by connecting Mr. Harding to Monsieur de Kobra. Cox had given de Kobra information to give to Harding in order to make allegations against Harding later. Judson Welliver, who was the director of publicity at this point, released a statement denying all wrongdoings by Senator Harding and exposing Governor Cox and his plan.

5) In the Outlook in 1921 an article written by Wade Chance titled Censorship At Paris mentions Judson Welliver and his French correspondent “Pertinax.” The article describes how the French government would censor Judson Wellivers letters. Whole sentences would be blacked out and sometimes half the letter. Examples are given of important information being sent overseas and the French government censoring those messages.

An article about Harding’s papers: After Harding’s death, Allied Donithen, a close friend of Harding, chose Judson Welliver to write his official biography. Although much of Harding’s papers were burned, those that survived were collected and used by Welliver.

In an article from Munsey’s, JW explains his reasoning for the US adopting the metric system and integrating the system into our lives.

From a review of Schlesinger: “U.S. News and World Report journalist and blogger Robert Schlesinger does a wonderful job of telling the stories of U.S. presidents and their pens, from “literary clerk” Judson Welliver, who helped President Warren Harding (after Harding’s inaugural was lambasted in the press as reminiscent “of stale bean soup, of college yells, of dogs barking idiotically through endless nights”) to the team – including many of us at West Wing Writers – who served as President Bill Clinton’s scribes. Great insight into the way the presidential speechwriter’s role has evolved along with successive administrations.”

More on JW and Henry Ford: In interviews with Ford, JW gathers information that uncovers Henry Ford’s anti-semitic views. From a paper by Jonathan Logsdon.

A fascinating letter from JW dated December 10, 1920, to Senator George Sutherland (left) seeking appointment to the Federal Trade Commission. What makes this letter fascinating is that it was written just a few weeks after the 1920 election when JW’s candidate, Warren Harding, was chosen POTUS. There must have been some uncertainty as to JW’s role in the new administration for him to be seeking an appointment to the FTC. However, from the letter’s content, it was clear that Sutherland would be appointed to the Supreme Court. Interestingly, that appointment didn’t happen until 1922.

More on JW, including an additional discussion of his interest and writings about Henry Ford (http://bit.ly/bISBod) and his name as it appears in one of the more scandalous works about Harding–the (in)famous book by William Estabrook Chancellor that, among many other things, asserted Harding’s African-American heritage. Another book (http://bit.ly/9VEU5q) mentions JW’s 1908 article in Munsey’s about the “seamy” side of Washington, DC. And a final JW article (http://bit.ly/at32nD) about energy and power published in The American Review of Reviews.

Niall Palmer reflects upon Harding and his historical legacy in “fact and fiction.” The article quotes William Allen White’s autobiography: “Harding shared his befuddlement over taxation with Winston Churchill, then British Chancellor of the Exchequer. In his autobiography, White seems slightly more sympathetic to Harding’s predicament, and recalls presidential secretary Judson Welliver’s comments, ‘Lord, Lord, man! You can’t know what the president is going through. You see he doesn’t understand it; he just doesn’t know a thousand things that he ought to know. And he realizes his ignorance, and he is afraid.’

Former chief usher at the White House Ike Hoover (left) wrote one of the earliest memoirs of life in the White House, and he mentions JW with some detail: “Until the time of Harding, all the presidents, so far as I know, wrote their own speeches. With his coming a man was appointed to prepare whatever set and formal speeches he was called upon to make. The first man to hold this office was Judson Welliver, a widely known newspaper man. He had been with the president through the campaign, being close to the throne, so to speak, an naturally came along to the White House. No doubt he had made himself useful along this very line during the campaign and it was most natural that he should kept on. When Coolidge came, he found Welliver on the job and continued to employ him., no doubt finding him a very handy man…As the whole scheme was a new one, there were many embarrassments for the individual holding down this job. For example, there was no legal appropriation for his salary. It was skimmed from here, there, and everywhere. At one time it was taken from the fund for the payment of the chauffeurs and the upkeep of the garage. Much jealousy was also aroused by this office. The regular secretaries seemed to resent the fact that, owing to the confidential nature of the work, the man holding this job had an entrée to the president which they themselves did not enjoy. He seemed always to be a separate part of the Executive Offices, under orders of no one but the president.”